Holly awoke before dawn. The alcohol had gotten her to sleep much earlier than normal She got out her woodcarvers tools and got to work. When she was done, she admired her own handiwork, looking at the new name of the ship. The S. S. Amaelia. She'd never felt so sentimental before, but she wanted to honor the woman who had stuck her neck out for her and Brook. And, short of naming her nonexistent child after the woman, she could come up with no better way.
With that task done, she boarded the ship again, dropping concentration on the fly spell she'd used and made her way to Caldur's quarters. She found that he was already awake and braiding his bronze colored beard. "Can I talk to you Caldur?" She asked softly, knowing what she was going to say, but hating herself for it.
"Ye already are, lass." He responded, hardly paying her any mind.
"I think that you should stay behind." She said quickly. "As much as I need a competent crew, you have family, and what we're about to do is dangerous. You could die."
Caldur stopped his braiding, and looked at Holly with confusion. "Come again, lass? Did ye just ask me to stay behind?" His eyes narrowed at the gnome.
"I did." She leveled her gaze at him, speaking clearly so there was no question what she said. "I know that you're married, and I don't want to have to tell your wife that you died over my vendetta. She deserves better than that."
The dwarf stood up, seething with rage, but he stood firmly in place. He wouldn't attack his captain. Yet. He was thinking about many things at once, which didn't seem good for his health. "I stood by her for 20 years, and fought by her side. This is just as much my vendetta as it is yours." He stated.
"As long as you're sure that you're okay with that possibility, then." Holly answered. "I don't want to break any more families over this."
Caldur looked at Holly, and hung his head. "You are just as stubborn as she was. No wonder, she liked you." He finished up his braid, albeit hastily, before packing his things. He turned to Holly just as he was about to leave. "Captain." He said, making himself clear.
"Yes, Caldur?" She asked.
"When you find that asshole, make sure that not even the maggots have something to feed on." He swore, packing the last of his things. He gave her a salute before he left his room, and walked off of the ship.
Holly followed and looked around the deck of the ship, noticing some crew members watching as Caldur left. She took a deep breath, not wanting to cry in front of them. She looked over at the door to her quarters, and she saw Brook exiting it. He nodded at her, knowing what she had planned for the dwarf already. Holly took a deep breath before putting her fingers to her lips, letting out a piercing whistle. It was dawn.
"All hands on deck!" She called out, running up the steps and jumping up on the railing in front of the helm. "As of today, The Hired Gun is no more. Welcome to the S. S. Amaelia. We're setting sail for a dangerous mission. Search, seek, and destroy. If that sounds too high stakes to you or if you have a family that will miss you, get off of my ship right now."
She eyed them for a minute, and, when nobody moved, she continued. "So be it. Be prepared for anything. Our target is a spellcaster with a large crew on a vessel very much like our own. He can and will use magic on you to get what he wants. He will go for the kill, so should you.
"There's one last thing… He's a sadistic bastard. He will use every weakness you have against you, and he will turn whatever you love into something to use against you as well. Do. Not. Take. Him. Lightly. I did, and I have this," She raised her mechanical arm up for them to see. "To show for it. Do I make myself clear?"
"Aye, aye, Captain!" The crew called out.
She looked at them before hopping down off of the railing. "You all know what to do. Get to work." She said, and a flurry of activity began before her. She watched, standing at the helm, waiting for the ship to be prepared.
Brook stepped up beside her, grabbing her shoulder lightly. "You've gotten really good at that." He commented.
"Thanks." She replied, looking up at him. "Do you think they're ready?"
"Honestly… no." Brook sighed, nursing his hungover head. "But, it is what it is." He breathed in, smelling the salty sea air and looking at the crew. "We will need to make sure that those adventuring jobs can make them ready." Brook stated, looking down at Holly. He looked at her new arm, and gagged a bit before turning away to not throw up.
Holly looked at Brook, and frowned. She regretted making him help her, but he was the only one that she could trust. She stretched out a hand and cast Lesser Restoration on him to help with his hangover. She was worried about him and their relationship if he couldn't look at her without retching. "Do you need to go get more sleep?" She asked him, wishing she could take better care of him, but, now, being the only one left on the ship with experience piloting the vessel, she would be suffering many sleepless nights from here on out. She had even warned Rhea to always be prepared with Greater Restoration- in case she needed it. She would definitely be earning her salary as far as Holly was concerned.
"No, I feel better. Thanks." Brook answered, looking back towards her. "Looking at that is going to take some getting used to."
"Sorry." She responded nervously. "If it's any consolation, the titanium attachment part was a one time thing. I made everything else replaceable around it."
Brook nodded, reaching out to run his left hand up and down the cool metal. It felt strange beneath his fingers. Where her arm used to be soft and pliable, now, it was firm and unforgiving. "This is going to make our private life very interesting." He whispered for her ears only.
"How so?" Holly asked.
"Well, I assume that the metal arm won't get tired like a normal one." Then, he suddenly winced at something he'd thought about. "Let's not try anything involving important pieces of me with that until you get used to it."
Holly burst out laughing, nearly falling to the ground in her mirth. It was the first time since her birthday that she'd relaxed enough to do so, and it felt good. Brook watched on as she wiped happy tears from her eyes, and he smiled at her antics. It was then that both of them knew that things were going to be alright.
Days passed, and they made port in a small bay in the northern part of Theisa near the capital. While there, Holly began to look for any jobs that would pay top dollar. The crew would need coin and experience to deal with James, and that was the best way to do it. She found a good starting job that paid pretty well given its description, and took it.
Brook had asked around for any info regarding a ship fitting James' description, he found nothing on the boat, but he did hear a rumor of a man fitting his description. Brook asked about it, and had learned that James did go by a different name "Leatherface". Brook took this new information to Holly, and looked at the ship as he walked on. It was a nice ship; it was also it was pretty recognizable. Brook sighed. Holly wouldn't like his newest idea- not in the slightest. He found her in the middle of planning where their adventure would take them. Holly saw Brook walk in, and smiled at him. "Oh, good, I am glad that you are here! What would be the fastest way to get here?" She asked, pointing to the map.
On it, Brook saw a small outpost not too far away, but the course would be rough given its location. He looked it over, thinking of the weather in that area. "Well, if we go south, we would be dealing with rougher seas, but it would be faster. Going north would be the better option, though, it's windier in that part, so it's more manageable for us." He explained to her. He didn't know the area personally, but knew enough to have a good understanding of it.
She thought it over for a moment, thinking of the crew first. She made up her mind. "North we go, then." She smiled. "Thank you." She said, stealing a kiss from him before going back to her work. He smiled back at her, and watched her as she worked, admiring her in all of her glory, which caught her attention. "Yes? Is there something you want to tell me?" She cheekily said to him.
Being pulled from his brief fantasy of her, Brook righted himself. "Yes, actually." He said, sitting down. "So, I found out something on our friend James."
Holly set down her quill, and gave him her full attention. "I'm all ears."
Brook held up his hands, and waved her down. "Calm down. It's nothing related to where he's at. But it is a name, Leatherface. It not much, but it is something." He said, looking a bit annoyed by the lack of immediately useful information.
Holly frowned. She wanted it to be more, but it was something. "Good! Thank you. We can work with that. The next port we get to, we will see if anyone has heard of it." She replied, picking up her quill, and going back to her work.
"Sounds good." He said nodding, but she didn't see it. He sighed, seeing her work so hard. He didn't want to interrupt her again, but he felt like this was necessary. "Holly." He spoke.
"Yeah?" She replied, not looking up from her work.
"It think… We should think about changing the ship's look." He simply stated, not trying to fuss over his words.
Holly stopped what she was doing, and looked at Brook oddly. "You want us to do what?" She asked, dumbfounded at her lover.
"Changing the ship's look. It could be a problem for us." Brook answered with the same straightforward tone as before.
Holly set her quill down, placing it to the side. She placed her hands together, and pointed them at Brook. "Brook..," She stated, trying to figure out her words. "We literally cannot afford that right now. Hells, we can barely afford to to stay here much longer." She ran her metal hand through her hair, trying to contemplate this idea. "We can't do it."
Brook sighed, he knew she wouldn't like it. "I never meant right now, but sooner rather than later. James knows what our ship looks like. If he saw it in a port, we could be both metaphorically and literally fucked." He stated.
"I'll think it over." She sniped, going back to work as her way of dismissing him.
Brook sighed heavily before leaving her to her work. He could get started on getting preparations done for travel, regardless of what Holly was feeling. He still had work to do. He just didn't want her to overwork herself; she had been doing that alot lately, and, if she kept it up at the rate she was going, he was worried that she might not be able to make it to the next port. Let alone James. He needed her- not just to get back at James, but for his own sanity. She kept him grounded, and she was the one constant in his life. He didn't know what he would do without her, and he never planned on finding out. For now, he would just focus on making things easier on her. Whatever it takes.
The crew listened as Brook began to tell them to move things into the position that would help with the travel. He checked his maps, making sure that the course would be a simple one. After double and triple checking, he was glad to see that it would be. Once he was finished, he saw Holly emerge from her the map room.
Holly looked ragged. She didn't look tired. She had no circles under her eyes, but the tiredness was starting to settle in, in different ways. Her clothes looked rumpled and unkempt, and the way she carried herself was different. There was a slump to her shoulders that didn't belong, and she be had been markedly more irritable than normal as of late. Brook tried to remember the last time they'd slept in their bed together, and the last time he could think of was before they'd set out to sea after the whole arm debacle. That couldn't be right.
"Alright." She said, "We're going to the location we discussed via the route with the winds. Yes?"
"Correct." Brook simply replied.
"Then, I think we're ready to go." She smiled, starting to get excited. She was bouncing up and down on her tiptoes.
Brook looked at her curiously. What had gotten her in such a good mood so suddenly? He walked up next to her before looking out to the crew. "Ready yourselves." Brook gave them a brief moment before the wind suddenly changed direction, and the ship jolted forward. A few crew fell on their asses, and a smiled pulled at his lips. He would never get tired of doing that.
He waited a few minutes before he turned to Holly. "So, where exactly are we going, captain? I know where we are headed, but not what's there." He asked curiously.
Holly looked up to Brook, and he was glad to see her smile. She leaned in close, so that only he could hear. "We are looking for buried treasure!" She whispered, giddy with excitement.
Brook's eyes widened. "You're kidding me? Right?" He asked, hoping she was serious.
Holly nodded. "Yup!" She was eager to do this. "I will show you later, but there is a map as well. I am excited."
"I can tell." Brook smiled simply. "I'll be looking forward to the map." He walked past her, and patted her on the shoulder. "Holly?" He paused, getting her attention.
"Yeah, Brook?" She asked, curious by the sudden shift in tone.
"Don't work yourself too hard. Okay?" He asked.
Holly cocked her head slightly, and nodded. "I won't."
"Promise me." He grumbled sternly.
Holly sighed. "I promise that I won't work too hard." She meant it, but she knew that it would be a difficult thing to accomplish.
Brook looked at her appraisingly. "Good." He said turning, making his rounds on the ship.
The day went off as normal. The crew used this time to get to know each other, much to the delight of Holly and Brook. They seemed to be getting along well enough for now, but it would take time to know just how well they would work together. By the time the sun had set, there were a few drinking happily, and others playing cards. Some of the crew tensed up when they would see Brook approach and try to look busy, but he told them that he didn't mind it so long as the work was getting done. If it did start to interfere, then, they would need to worry. Brook gave a terrifying smile and continued to finish his rounds. When he made it to his and Holly's quarters, he entered to find Holly busy at her desk. He took off his coat, and walked around to give her a quick kiss before wrapping his arms around her, seeing what she was working on.
He looked at the papers on the desk. They were mostly logs and reports that either needed to be filled, or were in the process of being filled. He didn't pay them much mind, that was, until he saw the paper she was actively working on. It was a map, not too old, but it was worn. He reached a hand down, and picked it out of her hands. "This looks like my department. Why do you have this?" He asked, looking it over curiously.
"Hey, careful with that!" Holly argued, trying to take it back, but not wanting to ruin the paper.
Brook walked in front of the desk, still inspecting the parchment. It wasn't a nautical chart. He knew that in an instant. There were markings on the page that he couldn't figure out, but he did recognize what this was. He set it down, and looked up at Holly "This is a treasure map." He was shocked. "Where did you get this?"
Holly sighed, and reached over to take the map from him. "In port. I told you this morning!" She said, feeling slightly annoyed with him.
"I figured as much, but how did you get it? They don't just give them out." He said with a serious expression.
"I bought it with the money we had." There was a deflecting tone in her voice that made Brook realize that she wasn't giving him the whole truth.
"How much did it cost?" Brook asked with narrowed eyes.
Holly mumbled a number that Brook couldn't hear.
"How. Much. Did. It. Cost?" He grumbled more sternly than before.
"1,200 gold." She answered louder, not making eye contact with him.
Brook's jaw dropped. He had a rough idea of how much the ship had, and, if his math was right, that was most of what they had left. Brook grabbed his hair, and stood up pacing around the cabin. Then, the realization hit him. "This morning, when you said we couldn't afford the ship renovations, you were serious." He paused, and looked her over. "Holly, how much do we have left?" He asked hesitantly.
Holly furrowed her brow. She didn't want to have this conversation right now. "We have enough to get us to where we need to go." She said, standing up and making her way past him.
Brook stopped her with his arm. "How much do we have left?" He glared at her.
Holly looked at Brook's arm in front of her, annoyed that he would do this. She shook her head, and looked him in the eye. "112 gold pieces. Happy now?" She angrily replied.
Brooks arm went limp when he heard the number. He felt sick. "You are risking everything on this map on the hopes that it will pay off. Holly, why?" Brook asked, feeling so very distant from her. Now, moreso than ever.
"Because I am the captain, and I make the choices here." She deadpanned, slamming the door behind her.
Brook was left alone in the room; he walked over to their bed and sat down. He held his head in his hands, contemplating what they were going to do next. He didn't have clue. He fell back on the bed as he felt tears in his eyes. What had happened to her? What happened to his Holly? Brook curled up, and sorrowfully cried himself to sleep. Alone.
Holly walked out on the deck, breathing in deeply, putting on her captains face, and manning the helm. She needed to get them to this next area because she was the only one who could. She stayed up all night, again, making sure that the ship was going true to its course. And, when dawn broke, she called Rhea over to have her cast Greater Restoration on her for the sixth day in a row. Holly nodded, thanking her, before she went back to her work, making sure that everything was being done right.
Brook awoke in the bed alone. He looked around to see no one in the room. He sighed, and prepared for the day, getting himself dressed and properly put together before leaving the cabin. When he left, he saw Holly at the helm. They shared a glance as Brook walked by. As he did so, Holly ducked into the room to continue working on the papers that she needed to complete before Brook had interrupted her. He sighed. This wasn't how he imagined their days at sea together. He knew it wouldn't be how he had imagined it, but he never guessed that Holly and himself wouldn't be talking to one another, much less fighting. He shook his head despairingly. Hopefully, things would get better.
Today, the winds were stronger. Just as Brook had predicted. This meant they would get to their destination faster. He smiled, and decided to go get some food. It was lunch time after all. While down in the galley, Rhea asked to see him in private for a moment. Brook agreed, and he followed her to her room. "Yes, Rhea?" Brook asked.
Rhea looked at Brook worriedly, like she didn't want to talk to him about whatever was ailing her, but she had no other choice in the matter. She needed to tell someone. "Sir, I have an issue with the captain."
Brook was shocked, but kept a straight face. "And, that is?"
"Well, I know that you two are close, which is why I feel the need to tell you, but she hasn't slept in days." Rhea said bluntly, not one to mince words.
Brook looked at her dumbfounded. Then, he thought for a moment. He hadn't seen Holly in their room sleeping in a while or at all. "You're sure?" He asked, wanting verification.
"No, sir, I know. She asked me to cast Greater Restoration on her for the last few days. She told me not to say anything, but I can't for the life of me let a person go around doing that to herself. Not as a cleric." She said proudly, but her voice was that of deep concern.
Brook was quietly fuming. Why had Holly been pushing herself so hard? Brook looked at Rhea. "Thank you, Rhea. I will take care of this. Personally." He answered, turning to make his leave, but stopped at the door. "Please, do let me know if anything like this happens again. With any of the crew, not just Holly. Understand?" He asked her.
"Of course, sir." She replied earnestly.
Brook nodded, and made his way back topside. He looked around, and, thankfully, didn't see Holly. "Good. I'm fixing this tonight." He said to himself, coming up with a plan. He got the attention of one of the crewmen who he knew was good at manning the helm. "I need you to helm the ship tonight. The captain won't be able to. She is feeling a little under the weather at the moment. Can you do that?" Brook asked the man.
"Of course, sir! Can do!" He replied, smiling.
Brook nodded, and, then, made his way over to someone he knew was also a decent navigator. Brook asked the man to cover for him tonight. "I just needed a night off. I will cover for you next time, deal?"
"Deal." He said, shaking Brook's hand.
Brook thanked the man, and made his way to the captain's quarters for a much needed talk. Brook walked in, and shut the door behind him. Then, he locked it.
Holly looked up from her desk, unsure of Brook's actions. "Brook? Why did you-?" She asked before Brook walked up to the table and sat down across from her, anger in his eyes. "Why have you been keeping yourself awake for the last six days?!" He demanded, needing an answer.
Holly actually reeled backwards at the sight of Brook's fury. Her heart pounded in her chest as she was startled; she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Holly was all too familiar with her body's fear response, and she forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to stave off the fear long enough to have an actual conversation and not a shouting match. "Because I'm the captain, and we're in dangerous territories. I need to be available and ready if I'm needed."
Brook looked at her as if she had six heads on her. "Dangerous territories?" He answered, confused. "These are neutral waters! The worst thing we will find here is shark if we're lucky!" He was fuming.
Holly blinked several times, shocked at Brook's anger in the face of her forced calm. Her eye twitched. "We are still in waters that are unfamiliar to us, and I feel more comfortable knowing that I'm here if the crew needs me. What if the ship were damaged? Who's going to fix it?"
"The shipwright that we hired." Brook retorted back quickly.
"I'm better with woodcarver's tools than he is." Holly answered. "He could need help."
"Then, he will ask for it," Brook stated. "unlike what you have been doing." He accused, pointing a finger at her.
"You're starting to scare me." Holly finally whispered. "Is this about my not sleeping or my promise not to work too hard? Because I can assure you that I am not tired in the slightest."
"I know. Rhea told me." He paused, trying to calm himself at least a bit. "Holly, this is about all of it."
Holly eyed Brook wearily. "I don't see what you want me to do about it. It's not like I can just start sleeping and all of our problems will be solved. Besides, you know that I've never slept well."
Brook nodded. "I know that, but sleeping is, at least, a start." He looked at her, and tried to figure out how he could get her to sleep. There were two ways he knew would work, but one would be the most surefire way to do it. It would also piss her off to no end.
"I will sleep when this adventure is over." She tried to bargain with him, thinking that it would be a fair compromise.
"No, you won't…" Brook uttered. "At this rate, you won't make it there. Let alone, to the end of all this." He said sadly.
Holly opened her bag, and pulled out one of her miniaturized ballista. "There aren't enough hours in the day for me to do everything that needs to be done. Do you think that I made this exclusively during the day? Because, I assure you, I did not, and I didn't even have a cleric around to help me feel better the following day."
"I know full well how long it took you make that. I was there. This isn't like before Holly. We have people who can help us. You don't have to go at it alone." Brook pleaded, trying to get her to see her wrongs.
"Brook, if I make mistakes, now, people die." Holly leveled her gaze at him. "I can't do this the way you want me to."
Brook hung his head. Holly left him with no choice. He nodded. "You're right, which is why I won't let you do this to yourself." He stared back at her, hoping to give her a chance to redeem herself.
"Brook, I'm sorry. I really am, but I can't. I hope that you'll forgive me one day, but I can't agree right now. I won't." Holly responded, watching his expression with a little worry. She didn't want to disappoint him, but she had made up her mind. She could rest when the threat of James was gone. She didn't deserve restful nights and sweet dreams yet. Maybe one day, but not now. Not when the lives of the crew were at stake.
Brook sniffled. "No, I'm sorry. I really am." He sniffed with tears in his eyes. "I suggest that you lay down in bed, and sleep soundly for the next 16 hours." He said casting suggestion on her, using his sorcery to double the length and heighten the spell, so that she would have trouble fighting it off. "Please forgive me." The tears now streaming down his face.
Holly felt the spell hit her full force. She tried fighting the effects, but several things were against her. First, she and Brook sometimes used suggestion for their extracurricular activities, and she was used to letting his magic work on her. Second, despite the magic Rhea used on her, she still wasn't at 100%, and her gnomish ancestry was only just barely giving her a leg up. Third and finally, she was so surprised that Brook would actually use this spell on her against her will that she didn't react fast enough to fight it. She felt her body succumb and her eyelids droop under the weight of the spell. "I hate you. You asshole." Was all she could say as her legs moved her into their bed against her will.
"I'm sorry, but it's for your own good. You will forgive me one day." He said, watching her move towards the bed. When she laid down, he sat on the bed next her. He just wanted to be sure that she got to sleep.
"No. I won't." She grumbled as she pulled clothing off to make herself more comfortable to rest. "I swear, if anybody besides you so much as touches that cabin door while I'm unconscious I will wake up and murder them myself."
"Yeah, I know. That's why I took care of everything already." Brook simply said, knowing that it would be a small chance of anyone arriving at the door. "Goodnight, Holly." He sighed, not looking at her.
"Fuck you." She mumbled, as Holly pulled the covers over her. She felt her body feel the effects of the spell take her, and sleep began to hit her hard. Her eyes drooped, and, soon enough, she was asleep snoring lighty.
Brook sighed. He was glad that she was asleep. Gods only knew she needed it; he wasn't proud of what he did, but he knew it had to be done. He laid down next to her, and stroked her hair comfortingly. He prayed that she knew that this was for the better. He looked over her body longingly. This was the first time in nearly a tenday that they had been in the same bed together. He wished it could have been under better circumstances. He just closed his eyes, and focused on concentrating on the spell; he could lose some sleep for her.
When Holly finally came to, she could feel warm arms wrapped around her, and she could hear the heavy snores of Brook in her ear. She rolled over to get a look at him. This morning, it was him, for once, with dark circles under his eyes. She ran her fingers over them and frowned, "Oh, you wonderful idiot."
Brook continued to snore, and she scooted closer to cuddle up against him. "I'm sorry." She mumbled against his chest, closing her eyes and pretending that she could have a real conversation with him right now. Or, other activities. It had been awhile, she realized, and she missed the feeling of his hands on her body. Maybe, she should try to sleep more.
Finally, she dragged herself out of bed. She looked down, and saw nothing but her panties on. She never did like clothing while she slept. She found her clothes scattered about the room, and cleaned them with a spell before unlocking the door to her cabin, stepping onto the deck. When she did, she was greeted by the light of dawn and a few crew members busy with their tasks. She saw Rhea who spotted her and promptly found that she needed to do something below deck, and, finally, she looked to the man at the helm that she had been grooming to become second mate. She smiled.
Walking up the short flight of stairs, she made her way towards him, stopping just short of the helm. "Good morning, Chester." She greeted. "Thank you for taking care of things while I was indisposed."
"Anytime, captain. Thanks for trusting me." He said, and Holly was suddenly struck with his words. She hadn't been trusting the crew to take care of her like she was taking care of them.
Fuck.
"Go get some rest." She ordered solemnly, realizing her mistake, and hoping it wasn't too late to fix it. "I'll take it from here."